Large Blades Cut Deep
by aqaws321
Summary: Episode tag to 1x13 "Large Blade." Chapter 1: Jack must rescue both MacGyver and Cynthia from the wreckage of the helicopter. Chapter 2: MacGyver was hurt a bit more in the crash than he initially let on. Chapter 3: "Well, I'm not going to say I love you!"
1. tearing you away (can't protect you)

**I loved this episode so much like I can't even express how much I loved it**

 **Spoilers for 1x13, "Large Blade."**

* * *

Jack groaned, bringing a hand to his head. It was throbbing, and blood trickled slowly from the cut on his forehead. The brunet bolted upright as his memories suddenly returned to him, and he realized that he was still trapped in the helicopter, along with Cynthia and MacGyver. However, Viktor was nowhere to be found.

Jack shook his head briefly, regretting it almost immediately when the throbbing in his head increased, but the sentiment still stood. The agent had bigger things to worry about than where the convict was at the moment.

After struggling briefly with his seatbelt, Jack managed to unlatch it and stood. The space was cramped and he hit his head as he tried to rise to his full height, but the man brushed the minor annoyance aside as he realized that there were a few flames around the helicopter. He stiffened as he realized that there was a chance that something vital could catch fire, causing the helicopter to explode.

The risk was small, but it was there.

Jack immediately turned to MacGyver. The kid's seatbelt was stuck, and the blond was slumped against the side of the helicopter, eyes closed and a worrying lump rising on the back of his head. The brunet crouched by the seatbelt, keeping a close eye on the flames as he worked at it.

The man heard Cynthia groan, and he increased the urgency of his efforts.

Finally, the buckle gave. Jack grabbed his friend under the armpits and pulled him to a safe distance from the wreckage. Then he turned back for Cynthia. As he began to work at her restraints, he saw MacGyver begin to stir out of the corner of his eye. Swallowing the urge to shout in relief, Jack merely urged MacGyver to come help him release Cynthia.

* * *

They were trekking through the forest when Jack allowed himself to think about his actions in the helicopter. He should've gone for Cynthia first, as she was obviously the most injured. At the very least, protocol dictated that he should've checked her before trying to get MacGyver out of his restraints.

Jack frowned to himself. He knew protocol. He was trained to follow it, had followed it for many years. It had saved his life more than a few times, as well as other's lives. So why hadn't he followed it here?

Jack's answer came to him as he watched the young man in front of him help Cynthia over a particularly bumpy patch of ground. He would bend protocol, break the rules, heck, even go against the law to protect the blond. And he knew that MacGyver would do the exact same thing for him.

That's what brothers do.


	2. deteriorating underbrush (and health)

**Slight (maybe) AU. We didn't see any evidence of this in the show, but hey, they skipped some time.**

* * *

MacGyver groaned softly as he tripped over a root. Stumbling, he tried to regain his balance, but failed. The blond was sent sprawling, and Jack turned with an alarmed expression plastered to his face, no doubt put there by the small 'oof' that Mac had emitted as he hit the ground.

Working up his courage to regain his feet, the young man allowed himself to rest until Jack's boots were right beside him, then shoved himself upright. His actions were aided by Jack's hand on the back of his collar, but the motion was still painful.

Jack looked at him with worry in his eyes, and Cynthia, a few feet away, echoed his expression. MacGyver shook off Jack's hand, which was still resting on his shoulder. "I'm fine."

Jack narrowed his eyes. "You normally have, like, perfect balance, dude."

MacGyver shrugged. "I just- got knocked around in the crash a bit, I guess."

Cynthia immediately looked guilty, and Mac bit back an irritated sigh. He shrugged, not allowing the pain that came from his ribs protesting the movement to show on his face. "It wasn't anyone's fault."

Darkly, Jack muttered, "It was Viktor's friends' fault."

The blond grinned slightly. "I won't fight you on that."

The older man peered at MacGyver for another moment, then glanced up at the sky as the wind howled. Wordlessly, but with a reassuring squeeze of Mac's shoulder, the brunet turned back to lead them along the trail.

* * *

All was quiet for another ten minutes, and then MacGyver tripped again. This time, though, he was close to a small hill. Cursing his luck in the second it took for him to hit the ground and begin rolling, Mac felt his ribs begin to ache even more. After a few seconds, he came to a stop, his face turned towards the sky as he rested on his back. Jack was already halfway down the hill- it was rather small, MacGyver reflected aimlessly- and soon skidded to a stop by his partner. "Mac? Buddy? You alright?"

The blond began to sit up, then hissed. Jack immediately pushed him back down. "Hold on a sec."

Gently, the older man peeled back the hem of Mac's shirt and let out a low whistle at the sight that greeted him. "Dude, you bruised your ribs pretty bad. They're probably cracked."

MacGyver let out a tiny groan. Jack looked tormented for a second. He dropped the bottom of his friend's shirt and waited a moment before saying, "You know what I have to ask, man."

The blond swallowed and replied, "Yeah. Just- just give me a minute."

Exactly sixty seconds later, MacGyver tapped his hand against Jack's leg. "Okay. Help me get up."

Silently, Jack grabbed his friend's hand and helped pull him to his feet. As they turned to head back up the hill and back to the third member of their trio, MacGyver clutched Jack's arm. "Hey, don't tell Cynthia. She doesn't need to worry about this."

Jack grinned, but the expression fell far short of its normal exuberance. "Wasn't planning on it."

MacGyver nodded, then pasted a sheepish grin to his face and started climbing, forcing his feet to move.

After that, adrenaline took over and carried him through the mission. The blond knew, in the small part of his mind that wasn't completely taken up with trying to figure out how to make the sat phone work, that he would crash after the mission was over, but for now, he had one focus.

Making sure they survived.


	3. deny the words (but they're true)

"Well, I'm not going to say I love you!"

The words were out of Jack's mouth before he could stop them, and for a second, he thought that MacGyver might take it the wrong way. When, however, the blond responded a moment later with, "Well, I don't love you either," and a familiar, warm light in his eyes, Jack felt his worry dissipate.

The two men threw around a couple more words, and then MacGyver was setting the bottle on the ground and telling him to run.

Jack knew that tone of voice. He ran.

When the lightning struck right behind them and the world was muffled by the ringing sound in his ears, a few thoughts kept going through Jack's head.

The main one, though, was that he did love MacGyver.

Not in a romantic sense, but a purely platonic one. Mind you, that didn't mean that the bond they shared was any weaker than the one Jack had shared with the women he had loved. In fact, Jack would venture to say that, with the possible exception of Ms. Davis, MacGyver was the only person that the brunet had ever loved this much that wasn't related by blood to the Texan.

Jack grinned- almost hysterically- at that. The kid was basically his little brother. A little brother that simultaneously annoyed the life out of Jack and made him want to wrap him in a hug and never let him go.

And the best thing was, Jack knew that MacGyver felt just as close to him.

Then the world was coming back into focus, and Jack and MacGyver were up and sprinting for the water bottle. As they ran, Jack permitted himself a fierce grin. This was why he wouldn't have wanted the job. If he was stuck inside, he wouldn't have the chance to do insane stuff like this- dashing through a clearing to grab a water bottle that had been struck by lightning.

This was his job, his life- protecting a young man he loved like a brother and putting up with his crazy stunts.

He wouldn't trade it for the world.


End file.
